"Barcelona should not compare itself to anyone, but rather build its own identity to attract talent", by Victor Garcia.

The New Barcelona Post speaks this month with Victor Garcia, one of the participants in Barcelona Global’s Leadership and City program, Barcelona 2040. Garcia is Vice President of Internal Audit & Risk Management at Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals for the textile and packaging.

The aim of this interview series is to give this new generation of leaders a chance to share their vision on the future Barcelona they aspire to, as well as their impactful proposals to improve the city.

What do you expect from the Barcelona of 2040?

Barcelona must take advantage of its many strengths to position itself in a way that allows it to adapt to the profound changes the world is undergoing. As part of the leadership team of a multinational company present in over 40 countries, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t envy me for living here. Let’s create the conditions that will allow them to come and develop their talent in Barcelona.

Which city would you compare Barcelona to?

It’s very hard to find a city that offers a similar combination of quality of life and professional opportunities. In my opinion, Barcelona should not compare itself to others, but rather build its own unique identity that sets it apart in order to attract top talent and provide them with the right ecosystem to grow and create opportunities for Barcelona’s residents.

Which city model do you think Barcelona should resemble?

The success models that have worked until now won’t necessarily work in the future. Therefore, I believe that Barcelona should enhance the strengths that consistently place it among the top positions in the rankings of “best cities to live in”, while we work to build the necessary ecosystem for it to also rank among the “best cities to invest in".

What is the main challenge Barcelona must address in the coming years?

Combining the transformation of the productive model toward a high value-added industry with the ability to maintain and enhance quality of life for Barcelona’s residents. This challenge has many dimensions: from a quality-of-life perspective, we must address the future of mobility, housing access, and low birth rates; but we also need to promote the necessary investments so that the city’s infrastructure and connectivity can support the development of new industries.

What do you think should be the role of the new generations and their involvement in the development of the city?

I believe young people have a key role to play in the transformation of the city. In the middle of a new industrial revolution, where data and artificial intelligence are at the center, young talent can bring a fresh, digitally native perspective to imagine the solutions of the future. Youth participation in shaping the model of the city we want to build as a society should also contribute ideas that break away from short-term thinking and help shape the city we want to live in by 2040.

What business sectors do you think Barcelona should invest in?

It’s no surprise to say that the key to Barcelona’s future development lies in greater productivity, allowing better generation and distribution of wealth, which in turn improves the quality of life the city is known for. To compete in a still-globalized world, and to seize the emerging wave of reshoring, we must be able to offer a knowledge-based economy. As an engineer, I believe STEM talent will be essential to achieving this. Barcelona cannot, and should not, compete on labor costs, but rather on the value creation that only top talent can deliver. We already have the best city for that talent to choose to live in; now we must ensure that their professional and personal growth can happen right here in Barcelona.